Levitation Photography - The Beginning

So, as many of you lovely readers may already know from my Facebook posts (www.facebook.com/tayleephotography), I've been fiddling around with levitation photography as of late.  The whole concept really intrigues and inspires me. And that is probably mostly due to the fact that I have a crazy amount of flying dreams - all the time.  It's probably one of my most prevalent types of dream (besides my dreams based on fears - but we won't get into that now).  So far I've just done a couple self portraits, but I have a lot of ideas running around in my crazy noggin.

I started out "practicing" with this awesome app called "Levitagram".  It uses a similar format that I use in photoshop to make my images. You should totally go download the app - it's tons of fun. Here are a couple 'practice' runs I did for fun with the app.

Fun, right??

My boyfriend is such a good sport.  :)

So, this app really helped get my creative juices flowing and got me thinking of what else I could do with my camera and photoshop and what other 'themes' or ideas I wanted to get out to the world.

So I was sitting in my office on this very computer and thought, 'I wanna do a levitation portrait right now.  Right here in the office - where a lot of my ideas have happened in the past.'.  And that led to this photo.  My first levitation portrait done without an app.

I wrote "dream..." on the chalkboard because I wanted to convey the idea that if you can dream it, you can do it.  After I did this rather simple seeming portrait, it gave me the inspiration to continue on this path and try something a little harder - a little more challenging.  Something outside in nature (where the lighting is not always cooperative and is ever-changing).

It proved to be more difficult than I thought  - taking me about a month to edit it in a way that I thought felt 'right'.  Making this next portrait really taught me a lot about what I like and don't like, what photoshop skills I need to work on, how to better prepare the shoot site, and that sometimes the muses may not speak to you when you want them to, but rather, when you need them.  After I shot this next piece, I worked on it feverishly, and frustratingly, for about 3 days and I kept hitting dead ends.  I thought to myself, well, this just isn't going to work - I'll have to do another shoot later.  But 3 weeks went by and I reopened the photo - and it just came to me.  Three inspired and focused hours later, this was my final product.

This final image is a compilation of about 7 different shots - in one photo I liked my face, in one I liked the cape's movement, in one the doll looked best, in one I liked the left foot, in the other I liked the right, etc, etc.  And then I had to add the sky, some little strings of hair, the color changes, and edit a couple distractions out of the background.  It was an involved process, but looking at the final product makes me happy.  It's not as perfect as I would want it to be, and if I had more experience, I would have gotten more of those posing elements in one shot rather than combining a bunch of them, but all in all, I'm happy and proud of my first complicated dream-like levitation photo.

I hope to make more and more portraits (both self and of others) and to continue improving on each one.  All we can do is dream and try to live up to those dreams.  <3

Baby Bryce is Joining the Nest - Fine Art Portrait

When my sister told me she was pregnant, I was beyond excited. Not only for the reason of soon having a new little niece or nephew to love on, but I also immediately said, "DIBS ON YOUR MATERNITY PHOTOS".  :)
When we met to talk about the shoot details, I told her that I also wanted to make a fine art portrait from her shoot and what ideas I had for it. This is my sister's first baby, but her husband has two sweet birdies from a previous relationship and I really wanted to incorporate that somehow. 

As I was lying in bed one night, the idea of little Baby Bryce "joining the nest" popped into my head. I thought of having two eggs already in a nest - one blue egg for his little boy birdie and one pink egg for his little girl birdie. Mary would delicately place her one blue egg, representing the little unborn Baby Bryce, into the nest held up to her by her husband to join his big brother and sister. As usual, I wanted the scene to have a dreamy, fantasy atmosphere - hence the clouds and dragonflies.

What a sweet little family. Maybe it's the time and effort that went into this - or maybe it's the fact that it's my sister in the photo - but whatever it is, looking at this piece makes me smile. So much love.

Hello everyone! <3

Mark your calendars for October 5th and 6th!

The holiday season is fast approaching and I am SO excited about it!  It's hard to believe with the sweltering heat we have right now, but soon the air will start cooling, the leaves will start turning and falling, and Christmas time will be here.

What better way to celebrate life, love, and family than with a beautiful mini shoot? :)

Here are a few thoughts on my planning with these minis: I wanted to do something a little different and more detailed this time.  I haven't historically done mini shoots very often and I've never done any this involved, but I had some creative ideas come to mind and I really wanted to share them with people.  I also wanted to give more to my clients more than photographers usually give with their mini shoot packages.  Since the Holiday season is all about the sharing - now is the perfect time to do that!

I wanted to give my clients options:  Indoors or Outdoors.  If you're not sure which one you would like to do, my personal opinion is the following:

-  The outdoor shoot would be the most versatile and best for anything from whole families to couples since it is a bigger space with more mobility and variety.

-  The indoor shoot would be best for small families (two parents with baby, one parent with baby, etc) or for you guys that only want pics of your kids for the Holidays since it is a smaller space and there isn't much variety.

Details for each option are below!

OUTDOOR -

I have some gorgeous beige tulle fabric that I used with a fine art shoot that I did and I've wanted to put to some use in another session.  I just love the 'shabby chic' decorating look, especially with a Holiday twist.  SO.. hence the inspiration for my outdoor setup.  :)  There is a lone tree in a 'field' in Terry Hershey Park off of Memorial that no one is ever around.  It is the PERFECT location to set up my own little shabby chic Holiday scene, be able to have the openness of the outdoors, and still have the privacy that makes both the clients and the photographer more comfortable.

Here are some key phrases that describe my vision for the outdoor minis:
- a tulle fabric 'tent'
- silver glittery snowflakes hanging on twine
- red plaid blanket on the ground
- pinecones in mason jars
- christmas lights wrapped around tree
- throw pillows
- ornaments strewn on ground or in wooden boxes
- holiday banners that say either 'be merry' or 'joy to the world'
- sun drenched photos <3


**Here's a visual idea-board to further illustrate my intentions**






































So there ya go!  That's my plan for the outdoor minis!  :)


INDOOR -





For my indoor minis,  I will have a studio set up indoors with pretty wood floors and a choice of 3 backdrops.  I'll have minimal props (christmas lights/tinsel we could wrap around you, ornaments we could lay on the floor, etc - the use of more props would mostly be for babies and small children).

Here are the 3 backdrops you can choose from!







































So, which mini session is for you?  If you have any questions, want more details, or are ready to book your mini session, call or email me now!  There is limited bookings available, so don't wait until the last minute!  :)

Email:  tayleephotography@gmail.com
Phone: 713-550-0119


Jingly Bells and Twinkly Lights,
Taylor

Yo pretty ladies! I have a special just for you. :)

Hey gals! Take part in my portfolio special and help me build my fine art portfolio for a special, discounted price. (And fellas? What an amazing gift this would make for the special lady in your life, right?) My normal pricing packages are going to start at $300 so take advantage of this special while it lasts!

 

Commission Fee: $175

 

Included with fee:

 

- All creative time spent planning out your shoot

- Extensive editing of your photos to achieve the fine art look

- Personal online gallery for viewing, sharing, and ordering

- Your gallery will contain 3 finished fine art images from your shoot.

- Choice of one image to receive a web-sized digital file of for posting on your Facebook and other online sites you may have. The photo will have a small, tasteful logo in a bottom corner.

- A 20% off coupon to your gallery so if you or your family decide to buy prints, a canvas, or other merchandise with your art on them, you can do so at a discounted price. 

I've already done my first Portfolio Special session with the lovely Miss Lili. Her session theme was "Beauty in the Flood" - even when you feel overwhelmed in life - like you're drowning - there is beauty within and around you. It turned out AMAZINGLY and I couldn't be happier with the result. What a wonderful way to kick off my fine art portfolio. :) Here is my favorite one. :)

She's so gorgeous!! 

If you are interested in taking advantage of this special, visit my website at www.tayleephotography.com and use the contact page to drop me a line. :)

If you would like more details and info first, there's also a session info tab you can look at when you visit the website. 

Flower petals and murky water,

Taylor <3

Secrets and Sneakiness (but in good ways)

Hellohellohello, everyone!  Short blog post today, but I am so excited for tomorrow that I had to write you all really quickly and spill some teasers.  <3

Tomorrow, my friends, at 10am, I have a beautiful shoot with a beautiful young lady.  I can't reveal all of the amazing details as of yet, but I can give you two things: the name of the session theme and a picture collage of ideas/materials that helped me in the planning of the session.  I am so excited!

The session will be called "Beauty in the Flood".  The theme of the session is based around that feeling we all get when we feel totally overwhelmed by life.  We feel lost.  We feel like we're drowning.  But no matter how deep our despair may seem, there is always beauty around us and beauty within us.  We may not always see it, but it is there.  We just have to take the time to look. <3

Oh yeah, and there's the new logo.  ;)  Sort of a sneaky 'big reveal', eh?  What do you think about it?  <3


Fig leaves and juicy apples,
Taylor

A New Direction: Scary and Exciting!

Hello, sweet readers.  My, have I got news for you.   Buckle up - it's gonna be a long post of awesomeness.  :)

Before the news, you must have some back story.  Recently, I resigned from my full time office job so I could fully invest my heart and soul into Tay Lee Photography.  Having 40 more hours a week to throw into your business really makes a difference (who'da thunk it, right?).  

So, last week and this week, I've been in learning mode: "How can I make my business better?".  I have been watching some online courses from the wonderful CreativeLIVE.com.  If you're an artist (especially a photographer) and enjoy learning, you should totally check out CreativeLIVE.com.  It's AMAZING.  

It works like this:  CreativeLIVE hosts these real-life classes (usually about 3 days long) on all kinds of subjects - fine art photography, marketing, sales, pet photography, etc - in real-life classrooms with real-life students.  The instructors are always these amazing, award-winning, ridiculously talented and smart people and you can't believe you get to listen to them speak.  And here's where it gets more awesome - you get to watch a live streaming video of the class... for free.  That's right.  Free.  You sign up and make a free account with CreativeLIVE and then you get emails sent to you that say things like, "Oh, hey.  This awesome supernaturally intelligent alien is teaching this amazing class that you would die to be in.  Click on this link to go watch it live for the whopping price of zero dollars."   Holy.  Moley.  *clickclickclickclickCLICKCLICKCLICK*

Now, I could never take advantage of this awesomeness before when I had my day job.  It's a little difficult for me to watch a live streaming class and pay attention and takes notes and all that when my boss wanted me to do actual work.  Some people can have things on in the background, like a radio, while they're working, and I get that.  Music in the background I can do.  Someone talking to me in the background.. I can't do that.  I would have just stopped working and listened to the course.  Lol.

But NOW... yes, now, I can watch and learn.  And boy, have I learned.  I've watched 2 courses that have succeeded in changing my entire view on my work, where I am with my business, and where I want to go with my business.  The first was a course by the unbelievable photographic artist, Brooke Shaden (you should totally Google her), whom inspired me to always be inspired by my work and to do work that means something to me on a deep level.  And the second was by marketing guru Michael Port (you should Google him too - especially if you have your own small business) where he was teaching the unbelievable amazingness of his book "Book Yourself Solid".  I bought the illustrated version because I couldn't NOT buy it after listening to him rock my world for 3 days straight.  I feel simultaneously inspired, excited, and overwhelmed with ideas.  (This is where I tell you the news I have.)

One of the major, major things, that Michael Port teaches is that, when first starting out in your business, you need to have a narrow target market.  "WHUUU?", you say?  "That's contrary to common thinking! You're supposed to be as broad as possible when you start out!"  I know.  That's what I thought too.  When you start out in your own business, you think you should say 'yes' to EVERYTHING.  Every offer, every opportunity, every possibility, every job.  You feel like you need to take every chance you get because you need to make money and build your business, right?  Wrong, says Michael Port.  He says you need to have a niche. Here's an excerpt from his book that helps explain this crazy talk:

"Think of narrowing your market this way: which would you rather be - a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond? It's much easier to carve out a very lucrative domain for yourself once you've identified a specific market.  And once you're a big fish in a small pond, you'll get more invitations than you can handle to swim in other ponds."

Wow.

So then my thought process changed.  And I started thinking... Ok.. what would my target market be?  What would my niche be?  My niche needs to be something that inspires me, because as both Brooke Shaden AND Michael Port said in their classes, you do your best work when you are inspired.  So what would it be?  What always inspires me?

Without fail, I have always been inspired by nature. Every time I have painted or drawn, since I was a child, it has been of nature - trees, the forest at night, branches, animals, etc.  When I try, I seriously can not think of one instance where a piece of art I made didn’t include nature of some kind.  It’s actually kind of ridiculous.  Lol.  But how will that be reflected in my photography? 

So here’s another thing I’ve always been passionate about: helping women feel beautiful.  Women are so much harder on themselves than men or children are on themselves.  I want to help women feel beautiful in a natural way and to know that their beauty comes from within and that gives strength.  Women in particular put so much of our own self worth and self value in the hands of others - in our relationships, in our friends and family, etc.  I want to give women something beautiful, magical, and special that they can treasure forever and can pamper themselves with.  Something they can look at and say, ‘Wow.. I am beautiful.‘ 

And therefore, the idea of my photography niche being beautiful, mysterious, and almost fantasy-like artistic images of women in enchanted forest/’Secret Garden’-like nature settings is born.  I don’t have everything worked out yet - of course - and I have some shooting to do so I can build this portfolio up, but I have a strong idea in mind and I’m excited to run with that idea and let it consume me.  

I’ve been working on the details: a new website ‘look’, a new blog 'look', a revised logo design, a new pricing structure, photography collections/packages (adolescent/teenage women, young women, bridal, maternity, woman and baby, etc... but always about women in nature, wearing very natural, flowy things [yes, I’m working on building a wardrobe], and giving women something beautiful, magical, and special), gift certificates (so you can give a gift to pamper a special woman in your life), and all that jazz.  I will be dedicating much more time to each session with planning and collaborating with the client’s ideas to make it more personal and special for them.  I was thinking of having my clients tell me their favorite quote - one that means something special to them and their life - and building a shoot ‘theme’ around that message/quote. (I’m having a lot of thoughts lately, can you tell?)

All in all, I can see the path Tay Lee Photography is turning down and I’m so giddy to see what walking this road will bring.  For my current clients who have the most adorable little ones that I’ve taken photos of before (and believe you me - my clients have THE cutest kids ever), I’m not turning away from you or abandoning you.  :)  I love you all so much and will always be here for you.  I’m just adjusting my focus as far as marketing and ‘target’ is concerned. <3

If you’re a woman reading this, leave a comment and tell me what you think about this idea.  Would you like to do this?  What would your quote/‘theme’ be for your shoot?

Hey look!  You made it to the end!  Go, you!  ;)

Here are some links that pertain to all of that information up there.  Just in case you wanna go have a looksee.  

www.creativelive.com

www.michaelport.com

http://brookeshaden.com/gallery/

Thank you everyone! 

Love,

Tay

TLP's First Blog Post! - Also, we answer the question of what to wear to your family photo shoot

Hey look, everyone!  It's Tay Lee Photography's first blog post!  Woohoo!.

Hello and welcome to the first of (hopefully) many blog posts.  The main reason I finally broke down and felt the need to create a blog is because I have come across a few things as of late that I thought would be great to share with my clients, both current and future, but didn't seem to have

the right place to do so.  So here we are!  Are you excited yet?!  Be prepared to have knowledge spilled upon you, my friends.  ;)

So, for my first post, I would like to address the matter of WHAT TO WEAR to your upcoming family photoshoot.  Once my clients have booked their session, I always get asked what they should wear, will it look good in photos, should we all wear the same color shirt, etc.  Although many people dig the uniform look (for example, the whole family wearing white button down shirts and jeans), and it does have a certain charm to it, there's so much more you can do while still matching and looking like the cute, cozy family unit you are!

So, if you are planning on a classic family portrait look, more of a matchy color scheme is definitely the way to go.  :)

























































































Hope this helps some of you!  ANY more questions, or just wanna add something about this, don't be afraid to email, call, Facebook, or comment below!

Smiles, snuggles, love, and lollipops,
Taylor Lee  <3



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